184: Why Most Business Leaders FAIL When the Pressure Hits | Marty Strong
Release Date:Β
August 20, 2025
Release Date: June 26
What can 36 combat missions teach you about judgment, trust, and leading boldly? Β
In this gripping episode, host Damon Lembi sits down with retired Navy SEAL, CEO, and bestselling author Marty Strong to unpack the real lessons of leadership from the battlefield to the boardroom. Marty reveals the mindset and frameworks forged under pressureβfrom never being a βsingle point of failureβ to the three-step process for creative, resilient leadership. Whether youβre running a small project or motivating an entire organization, this episode delivers practical tools to help you train, adapt, and inspire at a higher level.
Discover why great teams out-innovate their competition, how mission-driven leadership outperforms metrics-chasing, and what to do when your strategyβand your egoβget stuck in the mud. Marty also shares powerful stories from his SEAL days and breaks down how to reignite creativity in yourself and your team, long after childhood.
What Youβll Learn:
The difference between βleading for missionβ and βleading for metricsβ (and why it matters)
Martyβs three-part framework for bold, creative leadershipβincluding intellectual humility, curiosity, and applied creativity
How SEALs build trust, adaptability, and cross-trained teams to avoid a single point of failure
Why businesses lose creativity as they scaleβand how to bring it back
The #1 lesson Marty learned when everything went wrong on a mission (and how it changed his leadership forever)
Tools for driving buy-in, team empathy, and loyaltyβno matter the stakes
In This Episode:
00:00 β Martyβs βsingle point of failureβ lesson and opening thoughts on leadership
01:18 β What the Navy SEALs taught Marty about always being prepared
03:10 β Martyβs backstory and path to the SEALs
07:00 β The reality of leading high-performing, high-intelligence teams
08:52 β Trust, judgment, and adaptability in special ops
11:27 β Martyβs βwork the problemβ mud mission and lessons in humility
21:53 β Translating military leadership to the business world
25:34 β Building bench strength, team loyalty, and cross-functional empathy
29:46 β Martyβs books: Be Nimble, Be Visionary, Be Different
34:05 β Why companies (and adults) lose creativity over time
39:19 β The three-step framework: humility, curiosity, creativity
42:43 β How to drive more curiosity and openness in teams
46:27 β The difference between business as usual and true vision
53:36 β What keeps Marty learning and leading at the highest level
56:20 β Marty's speaking, writing, and fiction for the SEAL Veterans Foundation
57:47 β Where to connect with Marty online
58:11 β Show close and Damonβs call to βstay curious, keep learningβ
About Marty Strong:
Marty Strong is a retired Navy SEAL with 20 years of combat leadershipβand a track record as a CEO, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. After leading 36+ special operations missions and teams in high-stakes environments, Marty transitioned into the business world, buying and selling companies and coaching leaders across industries. Heβs the author of a leadership trilogy (Be Nimble, Be Visionary, Be Different) and donates all proceeds from his fiction books to the SEAL Veterans Foundation. Marty speaks and consults on leadership, culture, and bold thinking for audiences nationwide.
Resources Referenced:
Martyβs website:
Martyβs LinkedIn:
Martyβs books:
Book referenced: Cantrell (likely Ed Catmull) on Pixar: